According to CBS affiliate WIAT, Pastor Phillip Guin of the Rocky Mount United Methodist Church was trying to think of what to do with the area — once completely abandoned and filled with snakes and vermin — when he seized on the idea of converting it into a gun range.

“We had quite a number of church members, some elderly ladies, for example, and some not so elderly women that had purchased guns, but didn’t know how to use them,” Guin said.

The range was initially only used to teach firearm safety, but it later developed into full-fledged ministry dubbed the Rocky Mount Hunt and Gun Club. Thus far, only church members are part of the club, but Guin said there is interest from people outside the congregation.

“This is an opportunity for us to reach out in the name of Jesus Christ in a setting that is completely unique. Even odd by some people’s standards. But who’s to say that church can’t happen right here,” Guin said.